Hello, in fact, it is best for you to go to a local Taoist temple to convert and become a lay Buddhist, so that someone can give you face-to-face guidance
Let me answer your questions first. Beginners, first read "Tao Men Yu Yao", so that you can avoid many detours.
It is recommended that you start studying from "Tai Shang Ying Pian", "Tao Te Ching", "Qing Xin Jue", "Tai Shang Laojun Speaks of Chang Qing Jing Sutra" and "Nan Hua Sutra" to first understand Taoist thoughts. and philosophical systems.
Taboos in Taoist recitation of classics
Seeing the classics is like seeing the holy truth. Before reading the classics, wash your hands and knock your teeth first, be calm and respectful. All Xuanmen classics are condensed from the natural Qi of the three realms. They are hard-won, so they must be wrapped in layers of yellow and red cloth. Wherever it is presented, there must be foreshadowing. Before unwinding, hold the sutra in both hands and raise it to eyebrow level, then unwrap the sutra and open the sutra with your left hand. When flipping through the pages, you are not allowed to use your hands. Generally, you need to make a sutra ink: cut a piece of bamboo into about half a centimeter wide and ten centimeters long. The end can be carved and decorated with simple ornaments. If there is no sutra, you can use incense sticks or other clean objects in the palace instead. Any text on the sutras must not be pointed with the tip of the sutra stick, little finger, or middle finger. When you encounter a character you don't know and need help, use the end of the sutra, thumb, index finger or ring finger to point.
No alteration or writing is allowed in any scripture. There may be typos in the scriptures, secret decrees transmitted orally, taboo words from the gods, luck, or various usages, all of which are memorized. When you are unable to memorize by heart and are afraid of forgetting, prepare a piece of clean paper, copy the page numbers and text of the scriptures, and then add corrections. After memorizing it, incinerate the notes. All scrolls and papers on which scriptures are written must not be thrown away randomly, but should be burned in a quiet and uninhabited place. It is even more forbidden to be dissolute and to break or destroy the scriptures.
Classics must not be placed on the bedside, seats, legs or other unclean or disrespectful places.
Appreciate the classics and avoid "cool classics". When "Morning and Evening Classes" come out of the altar, recite "If you desire the supreme path, everyone will call you God" (this is the "Morning Class"; "Evening Class" is "If you want to avoid the suffering of reincarnation, everyone will call you God"), use a red cloth or Sutra cloth (if there is none, you can also use yellow paper; here, because the sutra has not been recited, it does not fit the sutra book) to cover the sutra. Then he stood up, called Tianzun three times and left the altar. Either after finishing "Heaven and Earth" and "Blessings to Generals", or after turning around the Heavenly Lord, return to the altar and call the Heavenly Lord three times. Kneel down again, take off the sutra cloth, and continue to recite "Zhongtang Zan" until the sutra is completed.
To study the classics, generally choose a clean and secluded place. Write the Chinese characters "Study the classics, the gods avoid" in traditional Chinese characters on yellow paper and stick it on the wall. Reciting the classics has the power to save others and save yourself. If you read a wrong word, you will hurt ten kinds of spirits and bear endless sins. Generally speaking, only after you have become familiar with it in private and practiced the magic weapon without making mistakes can you perform it publicly in the palace. If you accidentally read it wrong, repent immediately.
Every sutra master who recites sutras and performs high-level practices must be sincere and single-minded, and silently bless all parties.
No noise is allowed in the hall. In the presence of gods, no unclean words are allowed.
Any book that prints or recites sutras incorrectly, or prints books that use evil spells, disrupt the Dharma, encourage good to do evil, or are neither Buddha nor Tao, will have no merit but will bring disaster. There are specialized schools in hell. Anyone who is not expert in reading, or who accidentally reads wrongly, or who prints the scriptures incorrectly, or whose teachers teach the scriptures wrongly, after death, will first study the scriptures in hell until they read them correctly and correct them. Then, it will be handed over to the King of Hell of the Tenth Hall (if it is a Taoist priest who has worn a turban, it will be handed over to the Great Emperor of the Three Officials) for review. Therefore, when reading the Bible, you should be modest, cautious, sincere, respectful, and not slack at all.
The scriptures are passed down orally, and the secrets are not written in words. To learn to appreciate the classics, you must first pay homage to the Master. This is called "passing the classics". Sutras that have not been "passed" cannot be practiced. If the classics are not "passed", there will be no teacher to follow; if there is no teacher to follow, then the soul will be lost. If the master does not "pass", he will try again another day and be impressed by his sincerity.
The classics that must be recited by Taoists are the "Morning Altar Sutra" (including "The Sutra of Everlasting Purity", "The Sutra of Protecting Life", "The Sutra of Due", and "The Sutra of Heart Seal"), "Wantan Sutra" (including "The Wonderful Sutra of Saving Suffering", "The True Sutra of Obtaining the Way of Rebirth" and "The Wonderful Sutra of Solving Wrong and Eradicating Sins"), "The Sutra of Three Officials", and "The Beidou Sutra of Xuanling" (together known as the "Four Products") Sutra"); frequently recited classics include "The Sutra of Saving People", "The Sutra of Thunder", "The Yushu Sutra", "The Complete Works of Qingxuanji Making Iron Pots and Giving Food", "The Imperial Sutra", etc. There are more than forty kinds of rituals in common practice, which are not mentioned here. All Quanzhen disciples must eat vegetarian food and not eat alcohol or meat. If a layman reads scriptures or a devotee kneels to pray, he must fast and bathe from the day before. Women do not enter the palace during menstruation. There are other time taboos for reciting various sutras, which I won’t mention here.
If a Taoist priest reads the "Emperor's Classic", there are other strict taboos, which will not be mentioned here. Among the Taoist classics, the "Imperial Classic" is the most noble and its taboos are the most complex.
Any good believer who meets a Taoist priest in a Taoist temple, or a monk in a temple, or other good people reciting sutras, if he can accompany him on his knees and recite the sutras, and devote himself to the gods, he will receive immeasurable blessings and his sins will be eliminated. When sutras are being chanted in the hall, you are not allowed to stand close to watch, flip through sutras, etc. Any living being in the six realms who reads the scriptures must be protected by Ding Jia. Anyone who chants the sutra will benefit from wood spirits, passing ants, insects, and flying birds and animals. If you meet a person with wisdom roots, you can directly escape from the six paths after hearing the sutra and understanding. When chanting sutras, when the holy names of the gods are heard, a single chime must be struck, and believers should hear the chime and kowtow. When chanting sutras, stay focused and keep your luck. Even if the mountains are falling and the earth is falling, you should not be panicked and breathe evenly as usual. After reciting the sutra, you can stand up and look at it. Since ancient times, Quanzhen Sect has had "three things you can't do", and chanting sutras in the Sutra Hall is one of them (the other two are: you can't afford to meditate in the Huantang, and you can't afford to fast in the Zhaitang.
The meaning of "Three Moments" is: when Quanzhen Taoist priests perform the above three things, even if the Emperor and the Prince come to visit, they do not need to bow immediately; and the Emperor and the Prince will not blame them; after completing the performance, they will perform the greeting ceremony again).
If you are suffering from an emergency or other emergencies while you are chanting, you can take off your confession clothes and leave the sutra after three prayers. After finishing, you can return to put on your clothes and continue chanting after three prayers. If you are seriously ill. , other Taoist priests can be substituted to complete the chanting and kowtow to thank the gods on their behalf.
If you meet a high-level master who kneels down and worships, all believers should kneel down and worship along with him. When the great master bows his head to pay homage to the Heavenly Lord, all believers should also bow their heads with sincerity in their hearts, either to repent or to pray for their family members. When the high performer is silent or expressing his feelings, the entire forum must be silent and there must be no noise. Any photography or flashing is strictly prohibited.
Another: writing was created by saints; when you encounter scraps of paper with writing on them that have been abandoned by others, pick them up and burn them or bury them in the soil. Do not dry naked in the sun or exposed to wind and rain.
Do not trample on the ashes of letters written by mortals, which is disrespectful to others; do not trample on the ashes of letters written in the palace (Guanwen, talismans, etc. are also included in this list), which is disrespectful to the gods and is a great sin. At the end of any ritual, if the ashes are to be incinerated in the hall, the hall master must immediately escort the ashes into the incinerator or into the incense burner with both hands. The ashes must not be allowed to drift in the wind to avoid being trampled by humans and animals.
/index.html The official website of the World Taoist Association. These two websites are commonly used websites for learning Taoist materials.
Finally, reciting the holy name of Tianzun has incredible merits. Everywhere, crimes are eliminated and misunderstandings are eliminated; when the treasure title is announced, dangers are rescued.